I have a question for you guys. I know greyhounds are prone to bloat, are Silkens and Whippets as well?

Greyhounds are really not a bloat prone breed. Yes, it is possible, but I've been involved pretty heavily with Greyhounds for the past 12 years and never heard of bloat being a major concern. Osteosarcoma, however, is another story.

Do you have any questions? I’ll try to give an overview but let me know if you think of anything specific. I hope you can get something out of my ramblings!

They are fun dogs, and generally very easy to live with. Happy and very bouncy – when they’re amped, keeping four feet on the ground is optional. They have a sense of humor but are not really goofy, if that makes sense. Definitely people-oriented dogs– they are sweet, affectionate, and very cuddly. They are not really velcro dogs, though. They like knowing where you are, and being generally near you, but if they’re settled they’re not going to get up to follow you from room to room. Definitely comfort-seekers; they are great at finding the warmest, softest spot in the house.

I’d say they’re about medium on the energy scale. They definitely enjoy exercise, and are athletic enough to take as much as you can give them, but they don’t require a whole lot of it. One of my favorite things about them is their off-switch: when they’re on, they’re on, but otherwise they’re content to spend most of the day lounging around and being as lazy as I am. If it’s a really busy day, they’re fine with a 10-minute sprint in the backyard. They will get antsy after a few days with minimal exercise, though. Mine have agility once a week and often come hiking or skiing on the weekends. I know people that jog or bike with them, if you’re into that. They really do love running, and it tires them out better than anything else. Being sighthounds, they obviously have quite a bit of prey drive. However, they seem to do quite well off-leash, as long as you take the time to train a decent recall. I can trust Cricket nearly 100%, and have called her back to me mid-chase numerous times. They settle down very well in the house, and are good at entertaining themselves when needed. Usually pretty quiet and non-barky, unless they see something they'd like to chase but can't get at.

Good pack dogs – they usually get along very well with others. Generally pretty submissive around other dogs, and if they find themselves in a situation they don't like, they much prefer to walk away from it than anything else. They do have kind of a unique play style, though. Mine do not like pushy, in-your-face dogs and have no problem telling off dogs they perceive as rude.

Good people dogs, too. They bond closely with their owners, but tend to be pretty outgoing with strangers. Not in an “instant best friend” way, but they will happily go up and greet new people. Very polite, gentle, stable dogs in public - there are many longhaired whippets working as successful therapy dogs. They are definitely my idea of “go anywhere do anything” dogs, always up for whatever you’re up for. That being said, socialization is very important, and there is a tendency toward shyness if a puppy isn't introduced to enough new things.

I find them very trainable. They are somewhat sensitive and don’t take corrections well, but with positive methods, they are fast learners, responsive, focused, and eager to work. Mine are very fun to work with, and Cricket has been a great agility partner. Training does have to be fun for them to do well, and they’re not big fans of repetition; I try to keep sessions short and varied. They are food-driven and many are quite toy-driven as well.

One of my favorite things about the LHW community in the US is the emphasis on versatility. Nearly every breeder I know competes in at least lure coursing/racing as well as conformation, and over half compete in other sports as well (mostly agility, with some flyball, rally, and nosework). There's a big emphasis placed on temperament.

So there you have it - I'm probably forgetting things but it's an overview at least. I like them quite a lot, if you couldn't tell

I don’t have very much experience with silkens; the few I’ve met have been, as Dekka said, much more like Borzoi in temperament – more aloof and dignified, more laid-back, and less bouncy. I’m sure Pintage would be of more help here than I am.

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I have a question for you guys. I know greyhounds are prone to bloat, are Silkens and Whippets as well?

I can't speak for silkens, but bloat seems to be very uncommon in whippets.

Logan thinks Silkens are sexy, even if they're boys and neutered. That's all I really know. We were crated next to a silken at our last dog show and HOLY CRAP THE FLIRTS.

LOL, this is so Lugia My friend's backyard is right next to a popular trail for dog walkers, and the fencing is chain link so Lugia can easily interact with the other dogs through the fence. She totallyyy flirts with anything that moves and will go to great lengths to get the other dog's attention...

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Originally Posted by Michiyo-Fir

I have a question for you guys. I know greyhounds are prone to bloat, are Silkens and Whippets as well?

Bloat is rare in Silkens, there hasn't been a case reported until 2008 (this is a breed that started being developed in the late 80s) and there have only been a handful of cases since then. In many of those cases, it was a young male at home surrounded by bitches in season. Apparently the extreme stress is what causes the bloat; I don't know what the exact mechanism of action is, though.

Like LHW, Silkens are very easy dogs to live with. Lugia is naturally very quiet and doesn't even alert bark (her mom is pretty barky, though). She was a breeze to housetrain and doesn't get destructive if left alone. I really think that they are a dog that does best in a multi-dog household. Cathi, the owner of one of Lugia's littermates, has 4 Silkens and she says that they have racetracks worn into the backyard grass from the dogs running around with each other daily. Right now it's just me and Lugia, but this summer I'm planning on getting a second dog, mostly for myself, but I also think that Lugia will be absolutely delighted when she finds out that she's getting a full-time, live-in playmate.

Lugia's temperament is more similar to a LHW than a typical Silken, I would say. She's kind of bananas, for a Silken, but I love that about her. She's got an excellent off-switch, so she's fine with quietly laying around the house for much of the day. She's also got a ton of energy to expend if given an outlet, but has poor endurance. During the school week I'll probably give her 4-5 30 minute play sessions spread throughout the day in the backyard and she'll crash for the night at around 8:30pm. On the weekends she gets together with her dog friends and will run around and play for the entire day... so she can be very high-energy, but would probably do just fine with much lighter exercise. Her recall is all right, I'm still in the middle of training a solid recall; I've called her off of running to go play with some dog in the distance, but I haven't gotten the opportunity to call her off of prey, yet.

She LOVES playing fetch and tug, and I'm hoping that someday I can get her into discdog. Her drive has definitely been increasing as she gets older; when I first got her at 3 months old she wouldn't chase/retrieve/tug things and had to be taught how to play. Her friend Cozi (a 2-year old Silken from a different kennel) has a similar energy level, and will fetch a ball for days. Her owner does agility and nosework with her and says that she is a joy to train. I'm pretty sure she doesn't compete with her, it's just for fun.

I consider Lugia to be fairly trainable, in that, she loves her training sessions and seems to light up when she gets a trick right... however... she's kind of slow It took us a month of daily practice to get her to finally catch a Frisbee. It took another 3 weeks to teach her to put her front feet on an object and pivot around it. I'm on day 4 trying to get her to free shape a "roll over"... I don't mind though, I have endless amounts of patience for this girl, and she really does try her best. xD

I wonder if it's because it's still a new breed, but there's a really big variation as far as temperament/energy level goes in individuals; there are even huge differences across littermates. Lugia's sister Birdie (who lives with Cozi), is MUCH more laidback, in fact her owner said that for the first two months that she had her, she never once saw her RUN around in the backyard. Birdie is far more glued to her people compared to Lugia, she'll even try to squeeze herself onto her owner's lap as she's sitting at the computer... Lugia would never even DREAM of doing something like that xD Lugia likes being where "all the action" is, but she's not at all a Velcro dog. She keeps a close eye on you (she wants to make sure she's not missing out on anything fun haha) and keeps track of your whereabouts, but she doesn't necessarily have her nose up your butt all the time. I've heard that male Silkens tend to be a lot more clingier to their owners, and that female Silkens will start to bond even more tightly with their owner after their first season.

Lugia's fairly small and compact at less than 30lbs, so I love taking her with me wherever I go. She's incredibly well-behaved out in public and is such an Ambassador for her breed. She definitely gets a lot of attention from little old ladies xD She is very bubbly and friendly when meeting new people and dogs; if someone new comes over to the house, she'll try to bring over her toys and stuff to get strangers to interact with her, but if they make it clear that they don't want some dog clamoring for attention (all they have to do is ignore her and she "gets it"), she'll quietly leave them alone, and curl up on her spot on the couch with a bully stick.

I definitely get that "dignified and aloof" vibe from most Silkens (that description doesn't really match Lugia yet, but she's only 8 months old right now). I went to a Silken get-together and there were about 25 Silkens in attendance. You'd be amazed at how -quiet- the dogs were, and how calm! The humans were definitely making the most noise, whereas their dogs would silently stay by their side, politely greeting anyone that came up to him/her. When you let them offleash, they come to life... watching Silkens running around with each other -- such an incredible display of athleticism!

Well guys, let me know if you have any specific questions about Silkens in general... I ended up spending this whole post waxing poetic about Lugia instead xD She's such an awesome little dog. And so much fun to photograph!

Thanks for all of the info! I am fascinated and really enjoyed learning about both breeds. I am especially drawn to the LHW. Whippets are quite popular in MI for flyball...but I especially like the look of the LHW. I am not sure they would be a good fit for me though perhaps someday in the future

Two SWH frequent my dog park and the lure course and they are gorgeous! I love both whippets and SWHs and would love to have one or a mix (border collie/whippet) but am afraid of their tendency to run and not come back. Sounds like they can be trained for a fairly solid recall though from what I'm reading here!

Well, when that happens, you will be obligated to post tons of pictures. Just so you know.

Of course! It won't be for a while though. I think this is probably going to remain a two dog household forever. So it won't be until I move out of my parents house or one of the dogs passes (which will never happen because I won't let them ). I think a whippet would fit perfectly in this household but my parents don't want three dogs. Not yet anyway